Communities have taken steps to mitigate future devastating floods
Courtesy of the Bridgeville Police Department
The scene outside the Railyard Grill and Tap Room in Bridgeville on June 20, 2018, when a devastating flood hit the community
Observer-Reporter
Workers pull a tap system out of Railyard Grill and Tap Room following a flood on June 20, 2018.
Brad Hundt/Observer-Reporter
In this July 2022 photo, a structure is being torn down on Baldwin Street in Bridgeville, which saw severe flooding in June 2018.
BRIDGEVILLE – The recent devastating flooding in Vermont and upstate New York has given some residents of the South Hills more than a little sense of deja vu.
After all, it was a little more than five years ago, on June 20, 2018, when a muggy and rainy day turned into a dangerously sodden night for many residents. An almighty downpour shortly after 8 p.m. that Wednesday dumped four inches of water in less than an hour and led to widespread flooding. Hundreds of homeowners were left to get out mops and buckets and drain their basements through gritted teeth.
And they were the lucky ones.
An Upper St. Clair woman died when she was swept into McLaughlin Run by rushing water. Her body was later recovered in Bridgeville. An Outback Steakhouse in Upper St. Clair was destroyed, patrons of a restaurant in Bethel Park were left to stand on tables as water cascaded through doors and windows, and five dogs drowned at a Bridgeville dog day care center. Vehicles were damaged or destroyed and had to be abandoned by their drivers when they were overwhelmed by water at several locations.
The severe flooding that night was not something residents would soon forget, and it was an eye-opener for officials who, in the 61 months since, have taken steps to try to ensure that flooding of that magnitude does not happen again.
In Bethel Park, a number of mitigation projects have been launched. Last year, a $1 million project along Thunderwood Drive was completed. Other projects have sought to intercept storm water, hold rain water and intercept runoff. In 2021, Stacey Graf, then the director of engineering for Bethel Park, noted, “After the flood of 2018, council made a commitment to complete flood control mitigation projects throughout the municipality on public property.”
The part of the South Hills that was arguably the hardest hit in the flooding was Bridgeville – specifically, Baldwin Street and streets adjacent to it. McLaughlin Run overflowed onto the street, leading to the evacuation of residents and severe losses for businesses. In the five years since, the borough has removed a ball field at McLaughlin Run Park so the space could act as a retention pond when McLaughlin Run overflows. What is known as a “trash rack” has also been placed in McLaughlin Run in order to catch debris, according to Joe Kauer, Bridgeville’s borough manager.
In addition, a handful of structures have been torn down on Baldwin Street in Bridgeville and on adjacent streets in order to minimize flood losses and give water some place to go. The dwellings were torn down last year through a grant from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). If additional funding becomes available, the borough is interested in purchasing more properties. The properties that are now empty have been deed-restricted, so nothing can be built on the sites in the future.
In March, the borough received a $1 million grant from the state for flood control. It would construct levees and pumping systems in the borough.
Still, despite all the work that has been done, there’s no guarantee that Bridgeville and other communities won’t see flooding again – the hope is that it will not be as severe if another storm unfolds like the one that hit the area on June 20, 2018.
“We’re still going to flood,” Kauer said. “We’re more prepared. Our infrastructure is built up. The effects of it are being mitigated.”